The Reunion
by Wintreaux
Summary: Penny get invited her high school reunion and needs Sheldon to do her a huge favour! - Sheldon/Penny -
1. I

**I.**

* * *

_This is desperation:_

She's practically begging at this point; her pride has taken a hit, but she doesn't really care at the moment.

"Please, Sheldon, please," her voice is hoarse, and she feels his eyes on her, and honestly she knows the guys could be recording her and using this as some sort of twisted blackmail in the future, but damn it she needs Sheldon to agree because if he doesn't she's going to look so stupid.

He turns his nose at her slightly, uncomfortable with her begging, "I don't see why you couldn't have said it was me," both of their heads turned to Leonard, who sat there sulking at the scene in front of him.

She rolled her eyes; she knew one of the downsides of this would be dealing with Leonard and his whiny tendencies. They haven't even been dating for a good year, and he was still whiny and controlling over her life, she was glad the first person to have come to her mind was Sheldon and not him, she wasn't sure she could deal with him for an entire night.

Before she could reply, Sheldon spoke up, "Because she didn't. It's that simple, Leonard, I am the better suited mate, anyways."

Her eyes glowed with hope, "So you'll do it then?"

He sighed deeply, putting on a show of inconvenience, "When is this wretched event?"

"Three nights from tonight."

He nodded, "I suppose. It would give you the chance to show your friends you were capable of amounting to something," he shrugged as he leaned back into the sofa, eating his Chinese food.

She glared at him, aware he had just insulted her, but she didn't say anything. He was going out of his way to do her a favour, and honestly, she couldn't be any more grateful. She didn't know why she told her former friend she was married to a scientist, but she did. Maybe it was because of the endless bragging Amanda seemed to be doing. ("_Oh, I traveled the world after high school, I met a man in Paris, his name is Francois, we have a vacation home in Maui and France, and we just adopted a rescue dog!") _She was on her second glass of wine before she blurted out the lie, ("_Well I'm married to a scientist! He's being considered for the Nobel Prize!"_) Take _that_ Amanda. She could hear the humour in Amanda's voice as she spoke and congratulated her, it infuriated Penny. The bitch didn't believe her.

So no, she didn't specify _who_ her hubby was, but she sure as hell wasn't going to ask anyone else besides Sheldon. Howard was married to Bernadette already, and he wasn't a scientist (not to mention he was a pervert), Raj as sweet as he was; was more of _one of the girls_ than hubby material, and Leonard was just a huge no because he would only think this was a ploy to get him back or something desperate. The only candidate was Sheldon, tall, scientist, and extremely smart. She also didn't have to worry about him groping her all night.

But then her smile faltered, _she didn't have to worry about him groping her all night_.

* * *

_This is how you coach a scientist:_

"I'm not going to bite you, Sheldon!" She was frustrated.

The reunion was tomorrow night and Sheldon still was so tentative when he was touching her. It was like he thought she was either infested with every disease and germ he could think of, or he touched her like she was a priceless comic book and he didn't want to damage her.

He looked at her appalled, "I should hope not, do you know how many germs are in the mouth alone? Penny I could really—"

"Enough!" She cut him off, "Sheldon, please, try to meet me half way here, I'm trying. It's just one night, I just need you to be _human_ for one night," she begged him as she fell onto the couch, defeated.

He studied the blonde, her head in her hands, she looked tired and beaten. Like she had been fighting a war that already was lost, "Insanity," he murmured. She looked up at him confused, "Excuse me?"

"The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over, and expecting different results," he informed her, "Einstein said that."

"Well I heard he was a smart man," she replied humorlessly. He picked up on her sarcasm, so he ignored the comment and sat beside her, "Touching doesn't come easy for me, Penny."

She chortled.

"I've had a hard time since back home. When I was eight, Junior locked me in the chicken coop, it hadn't been cleaned in days and it was filthy. I spent the better half of an hour in there, by the time MeeMaw found me I had already given up on screaming for help. I was covered in feces and feathers, it was the worst time of my life," he admitted.

She was shocked. She never heard that story before, but it made a lot of sense as to why he was the way he was now. The germs, the touching, the system…she suddenly wished she could go back in time and hogtie Junior, she'd do it in record time too.

He looked at her, "That's why today I am…" he trailed off and gestured blindly in front of him. She nodded in understanding.

"But, you must be insane," he told her seriously, "Every day you come back to 4A, and you hug me or you touch me, and every day it's like you're waiting for a different result, it never comes though, I still get tense, but you're patient with me, and you never push me," he informed her.

She waited for him to continue, unsure of where this was going.

"But you still try. You're persistent, and though I don't know why, I…respect that. So, I will stay as long as I need to and I'll do this coaching over and over again, until we come to a different result. Because tomorrow night has to go perfectly, because you would do the same thing for me."

And they did stay at it for a few more hours.

* * *

_This is shopping with an anti-shopaholic:_

"Penny, please!"

She rolled her eyes at him, honestly, he could be such a baby when it came to the mall. He could spend hours in the comic book store, or even in at a _train store_, but one damn minute inside the mall and its absolute torture and his brain is melting. She handed him another bag and made her way to another store, this one sold dresses.

He was quiet as he walked into the store with her, he trailed behind holding the three bags she had given him, and she was pleased with this new silence. Truthfully, she could've shopped a lot quicker, but she wanted him to suffer since he kept whining about it.

She looked through a rack of fine dresses, each beautifully made, but none catching her eye. Some yellow, some black, some green, some blue. Some cotton, some silk, some lace, some sheer. It was a whole new world for him, and she knew he was probably taking in a lot of things right now. She didn't ever recall him being in a gown store before.

"What about this one?"

His voice was quiet, and she had to take in what he said before it processed. She looked over at him and saw him a few racks behind, holding out a red cloth. It was long, and it was silk, and she fell in love. She hadn't tried it on yet, but from the intricate design she knew it was something unique. Just then a sales rep came up to them and she smiled brightly.

"Ah, I see our new _Chanel_ has caught your eye. It came in straight off the runway a few days ago," she fingered the silk cloth hanging off the mannequin.

The sales rep started to undress the mannequin, but she felt the nerves come over her. _Chanel_? That had to be expensive, and honestly, she didn't have the budget for something like that. Maybe she should just go to Walmart or something, get something on clearance and call it or day. Or maybe she just shouldn't even go to this stupid thing! She closed her eyes and exhaled deeply, once she opened them again, she saw him looking at her and she knew that look well.

She let the sales rep hand her the dress, "It's a size four," she smiled widely, "Looks like it's just your fit."

Once she touched the cloth, she fell in love all over again, it was so soft, and it felt like _sex_. She smiled gratefully and went to try the dress on in the changerooms.

The entire way home he pouted out the window, "I'm still upset you did not let me see the dress. It seems unfair that I paid for it only to not see it," he stated with his arms folded over his chest.

She only rolled her eyes, "You'll see it tomorrow night."

He didn't bother to reply; he knew she was right and refused to say so.

* * *

_This is how she spends the night before the reunion:_

"This is so weird."

"It's like an alternate universe."

"Honestly, is this necessary?"

"We should take a picture to preserve this."

"You'd want to take a picture of _this_?"

"I'd like to take a picture of anything that has to do with Penny."

She glared at the three guys, and all of them snapped to attention and looked away from them. She insisted on a trial run for the night, they'd carry on with their touching experiment but in a normal circumstance that didn't carry much pressure.

She was determined to have him relaxed by tomorrow night, she didn't want their interaction to seem forced and she more than anything didn't want to be embarrassed in front of Amanda and all the other girls that hated her in high school. She knew they all were eager to see what kind of house wife she turned into, she was only glad she started her career as a pharmaceutical sales rep, not so long ago because now she could say that instead of a waitress at a cheesecake restaurant.

She spent the better part of an hour going over how she would introduce herself to her old friends and enemies, and how she would brag about her future. (_"Brianna? Brianna Dale? Oh, my goodness, four children? Wow, I can't find the time for kids between my lucrative career as a pharmaceutical sales rep, and my loving marriage. My husband? Oh, you didn't hear? Dr. Sheldon Cooper, yes doctor. He's a scientist, one of the greatest minds of our generation! He's going to win a Nobel Prize someday soon, you know? Oh, well I wouldn't expect somebody of __**your**__ caliber to know what a Nobel Prize is. Anyways, nice catching up…" Insert fake smile and a pitiful chuckle here._) It was perfect.

She just hoped he was perfect.


	2. II

**II.**

* * *

_This is (kind of) a pep-talk:_

"Maybe this was a mistake," She said to herself as she looked out the windshield, all the cars lined up in the parking space of her old high-school.

She felt out of place. She hadn't been back to Nebraska in years, and she left on such terrible terms (especially her high school friends), she didn't even feel like she belonged here anymore. She was extremely surprised when she saw the invitation in her mailbox, she didn't know how they got her address. She couldn't deny that she was excited too, she's always wanted to go to a reunion, she just didn't think she would have been invited to any because well…you had to _go to school_ to be invited _back_ to the school.

Then there were those movies she's always saw, where the girl that was bullied and ugly in school comes back and blows everyone away with how amazing her life has gone and how terrible her bullies' lives have gone. She always thought she'd be the bully in the movie when she was younger, because that's how she was in high school. Then she grew up and realized she was correct, her life had turn to crap and she had nothing to look forward to. So, when she got the invitation she panicked.

(_What am I going to do? I'll say no, that's what._)

Then, not even twenty minutes later, she got a phone call with a Nebraskan area code, and it wasn't her parent's number either. She didn't know why she answered, but she did, and it was Amanda who asked her if she was coming and before she could tell her no, Amanda went into this long spiel about being engaged to a French guy and before she could think any better of it, she said she was married to a scientist.

Now here they were. In the parking lot of her old Nebraskan high school, staring at the old run-down building that had purple and red lights glowing out of the windows, and music that was popular back when she was in high school, playing loud enough to be heard in the parking lot.

She looked at Sheldon who sat beside her. He wore a black on black suit, no tie. His hair was tousled _just right_, and he had this smoldering look going on and she never thought Sheldon could look like that, but she wasn't going to question it because this would help her in the end. He had a red handkerchief in his breast pocket, to match her dress and honestly, they looked amazing. Her dress fit her like a glove, and it was just the right amount of classy and sexy.

It was long sleeved, and the front of the dress went up to her collarbones, it was completely modest in the front. The back however was completely opened and dipped to just right above her ass. It hugged her body perfectly, and it was long and had a small train in the back, and when she walked the thigh-high slit on the side exposed her long-tanned legs, and her red stiletto shoes. Her hair was in an up-do that looked messy enough to pass as elegant. Physically, she felt like a million dollars, internally she felt like a mess.

"Do you honestly believe that?"

She thought about his words, "No."

"Then don't say that," he said simply, "Penny, we flew out to Nebraska, after prepping for this night for days. We didn't do that for nothing. This is your moment, whether you believe it or not. So many people in your life have knocked you down and given you crap for believing in things they didn't, like acting, and now is your time to show them you didn't waste away in Los Angeles, you made something of yourself," he looked at her, "You amounted to something."

* * *

_This is the reunion:_

Walking down the halls of her old high school brought back memories she quickly realized, she wanted to forget. She showed him where her old locker was, and how she barely stored anything in there because she never needed to study anyways. Of course, he rolled his eyes at her and muttered (_"How you graduated high school, not even I could solve that."_) She ignored it though. She showed him the cafeteria, where she spent most of her time, the staircase where she had her first kiss, and the janitor's closet, where Ricky Flores fingered her for the first time. She laughed out loud when he made a face of disgust.

Once they neared the gymnasium, he surprised her by taking her hand in his. She recovered quickly as they approached the sign-in table. "Name."

She looked at the woman, who she didn't recognize, and replied, "Penny Queen."

Beside her, he coughed, "Cooper, darlin', Penny Cooper, remember?" He muttered. She nodded her head, "Penny Cooper," she smiled, and a chill ran through her as she realized how easy it was for her to say that. She shook away her thoughts as the unimpressed woman handed Penny a red and white sticker that read, '_Hello, my name is: Penny Cooper_', "Wear this, so people know who you are," her monotone voice said. She took the sticker with narrowed eyes and looked down at herself hesitantly, she didn't want to ruin her dress with a stupid sticker.

She was final going to place it on her chest when she felt his long fingers take the sticker away from her quickly, "Here," he said as he placed the sticker on her hip and used his fingers to rub against the offending object, making sure it stuck to her properly. She felt her breath hitch at the feeling, but let him do it anyways, how could something so simple feel so intimate? She blamed it on the atmosphere of the reunion, and how her emotions were set high.

"Next."

The woman spoke and broke her out of her thoughts.

She let out a breath and played with the impressive diamond ring on her finger. After getting off the plane and landing in Nebraska, they checked into their hotel to get ready. Before Penny closed her hotel door, he handed her the ring, and told her it would be a lot more believable if each other them had a wedding band. She expected a rusted gold band, or something along that nature but once she opened the small box, she saw a beautiful wedding ring set, the princess cut diamond glistening proudly in the hotel light. Before she could say anything, he was already entering his own room across the hall from her. She sighed.

Once they entered the gymnasium, they were overtaken by music and mingling. "Do you recognize anyone?" He mumbled in her ear; his arm wrapped around her waist almost protectively, yet loosely. She only shook her head, "Not yet," she noticed a lot of red and white stickers, but nobody she really ran in the same circle with.

Just as she finished her thought, someone came up to her from behind. She was immediately greeted with strong perfume and red fiery hair, and a bright smile, "Oh my goodness, Penny?"

It took Penny a moment, but she caught on quickly, "Oh my gosh, Amanda!"

The two women hugged each other, fakeness radiating off the entire interaction. On Amanda's right was a tanned man, who stood taller than herself, but shorter than Sheldon. He had black hair, and brown eyes, but his smile was dazzling, "_Bonjour_, Penny, I'm Francois, Amanda's fiancé," he kissed the back of Penny's hand politely.

Sheldon then stepped up, sticking his hand out for Francois to take, "Dr. Sheldon Cooper, Penny's husband," he introduced coolly. Penny had to bite back the smirk that wanted to burst onto her face, was Sheldon feeling jealous? She knew it couldn't be and it had to be her mind playing tricks on her. He was just playing his role, and like everything else in his life he didn't half ass it. He was meant to be filling the role as her fulfilled husband, and that's what he was doing.

Francois nodded a hello and shook his hand firmly.

"So, _this_ is your husband, Penny? A doctor!" Amanda gushed.

"A scientist, with multiple PhDs," she smiled up at Sheldon, her left hand placed strategically on his chest so the large diamond ring could catch in the light, "I'm so proud of him." She saw Amanda eyeing her ring, and she knew there was a green giant growing in her, she had seen Amanda's own engagement ring, it was smaller than Penny's fake ring.

Amanda sighed, "Well, there's a lot of mingling to be done! I'll see you around, Penny, nice to meet you Dr. Cooper," she winked at Sheldon and pulled her fiancé away.

Once she was far enough, he sighed, "That woman is a witch."

She nodded in agreement. Amanda was always jealous of her, and always tried to make her life a living hell. Though, Penny was a lot more popular, Amanda was involved in a lot more groups and ran in a lot more circles. Besides, Penny often bullied people –as much as she regrets it now, because her closest friends were people she would've bullied in high school. Amanda once even started a rumor about her losing her virginity in the girl's locker room. It was complete bullshit, but everyone believed her because they wanted to. So, she beat up everyone who mentioned it around her. It was the only way to deal with it.

She never forgave Amanda for starting that rumor. Not until she moved to LA.

She sighed, the night had just begun, and she had a lot more mingling to do before they could leave, so she only took his hand in hers and laced their fingers together. Though, he pulled away and instead of reaching for hand sanitizer, like his mind was telling him to do, he wrapped his arms around her body and hugged her softly, before placing a kiss to her forehead, "You got this, darlin'," he drawled quietly.

He pulled away, and placed his arm back around her waist, and guided her into the crowd.

* * *

**This will now have four parts!**


	3. III

**III.**

* * *

_This is redemption:_

Her face hurts, and she swears her smile is permanently stuck to her face. She's said hello to more people than she even remembered, and there was always someone tapping on her shoulder, exclaiming (_"Penny? Penny Queen?!"_) And she'd have to pretend to remember them, because let's be honest, it's been ten years and her memory hadn't improved since.

Somewhere in the night, she ended up leaning heavily on Sheldon, she was tired, and her feet were starting to hurt. He didn't complain once, he just held his arm around her waist protectively, and let her use him as a post. In his other hand he held a red solo cup, nursing it the entire night, he wasn't a drinker, but he knew in social gathering like these it was a non-optional convention, he only took tentative sips when his mouth got dry.

A part of him was slightly thankful she was getting tired. That meant they would be retreating to their hotel soon, and the night would be over. Favour done, and maybe he would be able to get her to drive him to the comic book store whenever he wanted her to. Yes, he was looking forward to that.

He looked down at her when she started to straighten out, and he noticed a man walking up to them, a smirk on his face. He didn't have time to question her about who he was, because the man was quick. "Wow, Penelope Queen, in the flesh," his smirk widened as he held out his arms gesturing to her body, "Looking as Hollywood as ever," he clapped his hands together, "To what do we owe the pleasure?"

He noticed she rolled her eyes, "Always the drama king, nothing changed huh, Ricky?"

He quickly rolled through the names she's mentioned to him and Ricky came up quickly. She briefly mentioned a Ricky Flores, who had ventured in sexual escapades with her in the janitors closet they walked by. He narrowed his eyes at the male in front of him, a sudden urge of annoyance washing over him. He knew he couldn't be sure this was the same Ricky, but from the way the caveman was eyeing her he knew it had to be. His arm tightened on her waist, and he stood to his full height, easily looking down at the man in front of them.

"Well, from what I remember, you always did like my dramatics," he winked at her. She looked away, and then up at the man beside her.

"This is Dr. Sheldon Cooper, my husband," she smiled at Ricky. Placing a hand on Sheldon's chest, the move she grown to perfect over the past few hours, her impressive wedding ring glistening in the dimly lit gymnasium.

Sheldon took that as his cue, and he looked into Ricky's eyes, "Sheldon," he held his hand out for the man to shake, and Ricky did, with a vigor, "Ricky Flores."

The tanned man looked back at Penny, "A doctor? Wow. Who woulda' thought it?" His tone was slightly condescending, and she fought the urge to wipe the shit-eating grin off his face. The longer she stayed in this building, the more she remembered how much she hated it here.

From what she learned, she was the only one in her graduating class that left Nebraska, everyone else made a life for themselves in their hometown. So, a lot of them were judging her, calling her '_Hollywood_' and she even heard Jessica Simon calling her a sell-out, for what, she wasn't sure. Sheldon had only whispered how they were jealous of her doing something with her life.

"When it's love, it's love," she grinned up at him.

"What do you do?" Sheldon decided it was time to turn the tables and start interrogating this man who he knew nothing about. He spent the previous night going over social interactions on the internet, and how to act in them. He learned protecting and defending his wife's honour was something he was meant to do without hesitation, and with menace. He took his job seriously.

Ricky turned to face Sheldon, "Oh, I'm no doctor, but I am a sportscaster for the Cornhuskers," he smirked feeling like he somehow upped Penny.

"I hear you're married to Brianna, is that true?"

He nodded, "Almost eight years," he said. She gasped, "Wow, so straight out of high school?"

He shrugged, "When you're irresponsible, and get someone pregnant at a young age it's time to grow up and do what's best for your family," he said simply. She almost admired that.

"Penny?"

She turned her attention and saw the brunette woman walking over to them, placed her hand in Ricky's she smiled widely, "Wow, it's been so long."

Brianna stood toe-to-toe with Penny, her brown hair was in a bob and framed her face in a way that made her look older than she was. "Hey Brianna, long time no see," she gave a fake smile.

Brianna and Amanda had been the females to spread the rumor that almost got Penny expelled, not because the rumor was dangerous, but because Penny had beat up everyone involved, including Brianna and Amanda. Not one rumor was ever centered around her again.

"Sorry I came late, I was putting our youngest to bed," she smiled up at Ricky.

The blonde waved her off, "No problem, I completely understand," she paused, "Not with children, but with work of course," she smiled. Brianna tilted her head as if casing Penny, "What do you do again?"

"I'm a Pharmaceutical Sales Rep. and honestly, it didn't sound so glamorous at first, but let me tell you the check at the end of the two weeks is _glamourous_," she grinned. Ricky looked between the two in front of him, "Between that, and you being a fancy scientist in Hollywood," he gestured to Sheldon, "I bet you guys make a lot of dough."

The taller man narrowed his eyes, refraining from correcting him, "If you're referencing money," he paused, "Then you'd be correct. Money has never been an issue."

Penny saw the envy flash on Brianna's face, and she couldn't help but feel nice on the inside. She was winning for once. In high school Brianna tortured her as much as she could about coming from a family that bred addicts and teenage mothers, her family could barely afford new shoes. Now, although she and Sheldon weren't really married, their finance status was correct.

But then she remembered they had children, and she felt slightly bad, so in attempt to change the topic she said, "How did this happen?" She gestured towards the couple. Back in high school they couldn't stand each other, so she was curious.

"Well, during Jenny's party at her farm, we were just really drunk. And I just broke up with Kyle, we ended up having sex in the hay pile, and it wasn't until a bit after graduation I found out I was pregnant. But then you were already gone to Hollywood or wherever, and we decided to grow up and get together for our family," she smiled widely, like it was a true-love story, "Now, five kids later, I couldn't be happier."

Ricky just grinned down at his wife and placed a kiss on her lips.

But then Brianna looked at Sheldon, "How did you two get together?"

Both of them froze. Of everything they discussed beforehand, their origin story was something they didn't. She couldn't believe how stupid she had been, she knew her lie was about to blow back up in her face and she only looked for the nearest exit. She was definitely never coming back to Nebraska after this.

She felt Sheldon place his cup down on the closest table, and then take her hand in his own, he smiled fondly at her, "We met when I was coming home to my apartment. At the time we lived in Pasadena, not Hollywood," he said pointedly at the couple, "She was moving in across the hall, and I introduced myself. I thought she was the most beautiful woman I had ever seen, instantly she took my breath away," he looked into Penny's eyes, not one twitch was present on his face. He looked back at the enthralled couple, "We quickly became friends, she was interested in my work and though we barely shared any common interest, she rapidly became one of the most important people in my life. It was not a surprise to me when I woke up one morning, and I instantly thought I wanted to marry this woman," he locked eyes with Penny again, "It was unconventional in the way we never really dated, I didn't feel like we needed to. We spent nearly a decade together, being in each other's presence, taking care of each other, and just enjoying each other's company, it felt like we were already a couple. I just wanted to make it official," he smiled.

"So, I took her to one of my favourite places, an observation deck in Los Angeles, she didn't know it at the time, but I rented out the building. It's way too populated generally, and I wanted this moment to be private," he grinned cheekily at Penny's shocked face, "I showed her all the stars and constellations, and I pointed one out to her, Andromeda. In short, that mythological story goes, she was so beautiful, and her mother Cassiopeia boasted about her looks, Andromeda was punished by being chained to a rock to be ravaged by Cetus, a monster, only to be saved by Perseus. Later, Andromeda and Perseus become husband and wife. Today, both Perseus and Andromeda have a constellation of stars in the sky next to each other, forever to be side-by-side. Before me, she was in a terrible relationship with a man who only saw her for her beauty, I saved her from that. And I told her on one knee, it would be my greatest honour to have her by my side forever. She said yes, and it remains to be one of the best nights of my life," he finished his story with a kiss to her hand.

It was silent for a few seconds, and he saw the tears in Penny's eyes. He briefly wondered if he had said something wrong, offered too much information, but Brianna quickly pulled his attention by cooing, and placing her hand on her mouth, "That was the most romantic thing I've ever heard," she said dabbing at her eyes with her husband's handkerchief.

Ricky only nodded, clearly annoyed that he was one upped, "Well it sounds like you really did make the best out of life, Penny," he said solemnly, "I don't know what I was hoping for when I heard you were coming tonight, but I guess we all made peace."

She didn't understand what he meant by that but refused to look too much into it. She was glad when Brianna led Ricky away.

She exhaled deeply, letting her emotions run through her, as she rehashed the last few minutes of her life. She didn't know how she got so lucky, or where Sheldon pulled that lie from, but she was glad he was quick on his feet.

"Are you alright?"

She nodded her head, "Just…where did that story come from? The proposal one."

He paused; he wasn't sure where it came from himself. He just knew that as he told it, the beginning half anyways, that it was true. He did think she was gorgeous; he did enjoy their time together. She was insanely important to him, if not the most important person in his life. Then he thought about the proposal, he had to admit that if he were to propose to her, that's the way he would do it. He looked at her, "It seemed fitting," he said simply.

She looked at him, but she didn't push. He was already doing so much for her; she didn't want him to become uncomfortable. "Do you mind if I go say hi to one of my old friends? I see her at the table we passed by, you can just head to the bar. I know you're getting tired."

He wasn't. But he figured this was her saying she needed some time, and some air from him. He nodded his head and watched her walk away, animatedly speaking to a blonde woman at a table a few feet away.

* * *

_This is clarity:_

It had been ten minutes, and he hadn't taken his eyes off her once. She was smiling so radiantly; he wasn't sure he could look away if he wanted to. She lit the room up so brightly; he was positive everyone was aware of her presence. She commanded the room, and heads turned. Majority of the people here were dressed to the nines, dress shirts and slacks, dresses, and gowns, but none of them looked like he and Penny. They looked like the stepped straight out of a high-end fashion magazine, where the minimum price was a thousand dollars, and that would be a single t-shirt.

He smirked over the rim of his cup, his wedding band catching the light, he and Penny made a damn good couple. Aesthetic wise, and every single other way he could think of. They balanced each other, and a large part of him was glad she chose him for this adventure.

He felt someone tap his shoulder and he looked to see a man, he was fit, but not too muscular, and had darker skin, he also wore thinly framed glasses. He was glad he didn't have to look down to this man though, he was nearly as tall as himself. He looked at the man pointedly, confused as to why he was just touched by a stranger, who was rudely interrupting his thoughts and his activity of Penny-watching.

"You're Dr. Sheldon Cooper, correct?"

He cocked his head to the side, "Last time I checked."

The man smiled a thousand-watt smile and stuck his hand out expectantly, "I'm Dr. Devon Smith," his grin only widened when Sheldon shook his hand briefly.

"Nice to meet you," he was slightly curious as to why another Dr. was here, and he wondered slightly if he was about to have an intellectual conversation. He was tired entertaining these double-digit IQ cornhuskers.

"I've studied all your work, I think you have one of the most advanced minds of our generation," he said simply, "Your work is so advanced and thought provoking, I keep up with your study weekly," he admitted.

Sheldon sat back calmly, so this man was an admirer and knew the way to having a conversation with him was flattery, "Well, that's very flattering."

"I'm very surprised someone of your stature is here, honestly I didn't expect to see someone like you here. Much less with Penny," he stopped briefly before glancing at the dancing blonde, "No offense of course. It's just in high school she was rather…" he trailed off struggling to find the perfect word.

"Erratic?" Sheldon offered with a knowing smile.

"Yes. And to see her end up with such an accomplished man," Sheldon refrained himself from telling him he wasn't accomplished, not until he had the Nobel Prize under his belt, "It's just such a wakeup call. Anyone can change, we all have the same twenty-four hours, and seeing her working in the medicine field, and married to a well-known scientist. It just proves she used her hours a lot better than a lot of us did. She had the right idea of getting out," his thoughts wandered off.

Sheldon nodded his head; he couldn't help but agree.

"I see the way you look at her, and the way she looks at you for that matter. All night, to be honest," he added, "You guys are so in love. I wish me and my Marcy could've had what you had," he said sadly, "Marcy is my ex-wife, we got married right out of high school. No pregnancy though, we just thought we were adults. We divorced two years ago, we have a four-year-old now though, and I wish my son could see what a loving relationship looked like," he stated, "Your future children won't have an issue with that. The love you guys share lights up this entire gymnasium," he smiled.

Sheldon felt a weird feeling overcome him. He knew his new found feelings were something he had to deal with, because he doubted Penny felt the same, but then he listened to Devon and he recalled the night and the way Penny did look at him. Especially during the proposal story. Could she possible feel anything for him? He downed his drink quickly.

Perhaps she did.

He heard Devon scoff, "You might want to rescue your woman," he said annoyed, "One of her high school ex-boyfriends, Bryan, seem to be giving her a hard time," he shook his head, "Everyone knows you two are married. It's all the talk tonight. I guess some people don't respect boundaries," he frowned, "Bryan is quite stupid though."

Sheldon looked to where Devon was looking and saw a black-haired man getting in Penny's personal space as she took steps back. He frowned deeply, he felt a rage boil through his body, and he didn't know why. Penny wasn't _really_ his, and she could take care of herself. He didn't know if it was the alcohol he consumed or the dedication to the role he was playing, but he was pissed seeing someone make a move on her. He put his cup down roughly, and before he thought about it, he was stalking over to her with a determination on his face.

She saw him when it was too late, and he gripped he hips with a force she never knew he possessed. He pulled her body flushed against him and used his other hand to cup the space where her head and neck met, bringing her face up to him he leaned down and planted a deeply passionate kiss on her lips. It took her a moment, but she found her arms moving on their own according, snaking around his neck and her fingers finding themselves in his hair. The hand on her head slid down her body, and to her leg, lifting the one appendage and hooking it on his hip. The split on her dress making the whole encounter look a lot sexier than it was, as it exposed her entire leg.

He knew he came over here to prove a point to everyone who was indirectly flirting with Penny, but when his lips met her own his reasons slipped from his mind. Bryan was a long distant thought, and the few hundred people in the room were lost to his mind. All he could focus on was her soft lips, and her hands playing with his hair.

When air became a necessity, he pulled back and she placed her forehead on his. The only thing that could be heard was their laboured breathing, desire shining brightly in both of their eyes.

Suddenly loud feedback could be heard, and someone was tapping the microphone, "Welcome back class of '09! It's time to announce the King and Queen of Nebraska High ten-year Reunion!"


	4. IV

**IV.**

* * *

_This is the aftermath _

They stumbled out of the hotel elevator in an obnoxious laughter.

It worsened when she tripped, and her shiny plastic tiara fell off her head and rolled down the hall.

"Shhh," he tried in vain to hush the giggling blonde, meanwhile he was struggling to keep his laughter in check. If they thought about it logically, there really was nothing to laugh about. Nothing funny happened, they only exited their taxi, and then once they got into the elevator they had just started laughing uncontrollably. But it was just so damn funny.

She straightened up, trying to put a straight face on, she zipped her lips with an invisible zipper and saluted the tall man beside her; a large grin on her face.

The sober side in him was chastising him, telling him over and over again (_"I told you so."_) So, maybe he shouldn't have had those drinks after they won King and Queen a few hours ago, but something inside of the drinks tasted so…_delicious_. It was an apple flavour, and the minute it touched his taste buds his mind exploded into thoughts of a certain head of apple-y smelling blonde hair. He couldn't stop drinking after that, and of course _she_ took that as an invitation to start drinking as well, because why wouldn't she?

The rest of the night went in a blur. All he remembered was them starting a rather inappropriate trend on the dance floor, her bottom grinding into his front as he fisted the train of her dress, so she didn't step on it. Soon after a lot of the other couples started dancing the same, and the lights got dimmer and his head got lighter, and his senses were invaded by _apple_.

Through their inebriated state, they found their way to their respective doors and paused. He looked behind him, and noticed she was now leaning against her door. The shoulder of her dress was now hanging loosely off one of her shoulders, exposing a considerable amount of soft skin. Her eyes were hooded, and she was giving him a _look_ his mind couldn't place, but apparently other parts of his body were more than capable of figuring it out. She raised her hand and used one finger in a _come here_ motion, and his legs started moving without his consent.

She gripped onto his black jacket once he was close enough and drew him closer to her. Tilting her head, she looked up at him, the hotel lights glistening in her dilated green eyes. He looked down at her, and neither of them could speak, with barely any space in between them the tension was heavy.

Her eyes started to slowly close, and his head started to lower. Their lips met hesitantly, and they pulled back slightly, as if testing the feeling, however as quick as they pulled away, she was pulling him back. This time their lips met passionately, his hands going between her back and the door; pulling her flush against his body. Her moan fueling him, and he stumbled to find the door knob behind her.

Neither of them hesitated as she pulled him into her room, stripping off her dress in the process.

* * *

_This is the conclusion:_

They walk into 4A holding hands, large smiles on their faces. Nothing could stop this moment; their happiness is indestructible.

"Uh, wanna catch me up?"

She frowns. The shrill sound of her ex-boyfriend fills her ears, and she has the sudden urge to turn around and leave the apartment, but she stays because she knew this would come eventually and it's better to get it done now opposed to later.

"What would you like to know, Leonard?"

Leonard crosses his arms and pouts deeply, "I would like to know why you're holding hands. Isn't the whole marriage façade over now that reunion is done?" His tone was accusatory, and neither of them had the energy to deal with his insecurities.

"Yes, the reunion is finished, and the marriage façade is no more," he explained slowly, as if he were talking to a toddler, "However, Penny and I have mutually decided to enter a romantic relationship."

Leonard's face was a mixture of jealousy, anger, and betrayal.

He sputtered senselessly, until he finally settled on, "So you're going to backstab me by dating the only woman I've ever loved? How is this fair, Sheldon? You're a robot, you wouldn't even know the first thing to do in order to satisfy her needs," his voice raised, "And that's right, she will have needs, as in _sex_ and a lot of it."

She cut him off quickly, feeling disgusted that Leonard was using her sexual needs to his advantage, "That's enough, Leonard. You don't love me, and you know that. You've only ever loved the _idea_ of me, the idea that you'd suddenly become the man everyone envied. I was only ever an image to you, and Leonard that's not something I want to be."

Leonard's frown deepened, "So you're telling me within the span of a _weekend_, you suddenly fell in love with the neurotic roommate I have? That I mean nothing to you? Do you see how selfish you sound?" He gestured wildly.

"No," she shook her head, "I've always loved him, that was made well apparent to me over the weekend. I was always just too scared to act on it, because deep down I knew he always deserved someone better than me. He could never return my feelings because he didn't view me as an equal," she felt him let her hand go and tighten his arm around her waist, in reassurance, "I was wrong. I was so, so wrong."

"The only selfish person here, Leonard, is you. Penny and I are very much in love, and plan to live a happy life, whether or not you want to be our friend. It will be shame if you choose you rather not, but we will not fight you on it. I hope you come to understand that we didn't do this maliciously. Our love is real, and it's deeper than the surface, something you will never understand. Penny was never yours, and she never will be," he said slowly, in a tone Leonard hated.

Leonard knew they were right. Maybe he didn't _love_ her, but he did care about her a lot and he had put in a lot of work to make her happy, and to have her keep coming around, and for his prize to be reaped by Sheldon of all people, it really was a blow to his already fragile ego. So, he turned his nose up to the air and let out a noise of indifference, "I don't see why I have to subject myself to witnessing this Frankenstein of a relationship, it'll only fall apart within a few weeks at most. I won't be around here to watch the pieces fall apart though, maybe Amy will enjoy my company," he said with a smirk on his face, hoping to get a reaction.

He was sadly mistaken though; he opened his eyes and saw the couple were no longer in front of him but instead Sheldon was leading their neighbor by her hand towards his bedroom. The last thing he heard was Sheldon say, "Would you like to accompany me on a date to the Observation Deck tonight, Penny?"

The last thing he saw was Penny's bright smile before Sheldon closed the door in his face.


End file.
